A Legacy Cut Short
by Lazuli the Fallen Angel
Summary: Shane and Legacy are on their way to meet their fathers and Linda to discuss the Legacy/McMahon feud. They get into an accident and bad stuff follows. Bob Orton, Dusty Rhodes, Linda McMahon, Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, Ted Dibiase Sr. are mentioned among other past WWE Superstars. Please R&R!


Vince and Linda McMahon where sitting with Dusty Rhodes, Bob Orton and Ted Dibiase Sr. in Vince's office. They where talking about the Legacy and McMahon feud. They where helping Vince and Linda plan some things they could do to get better ratings. Shane and Legacy still had not arrived and they where due at Titan Towers over an hour ago. Shane had chosen to ride with Randy, Cody, and Ted to Titan, but Vince was starting to worry. He knew Orton and Dibiase and Rhodes where good guys, but he didn't know what was keeping them. Each had tried to call their sons; none picked up. Vince could tell his wife was stating to worry.

"Vince, where could they be?" Linda asked.

"I'm not sure, Linda. I told Shane to make sure they where here by noon. It is now one and they are no where to be found."

"I'm sure they just hit traffic." Dusty said.

"Then why haven't they picked up their phones when we called?" Bob asked Dusty.

"Maybe they have them turned off." Dusty replied.

"Now, that is ridiculous. Ted always has is phone in case something happens." Dibiase Sr. said.

"As does Shane. He knows if I call him it is either about business or a family matter." Vince said. Before anyone could answer Paul Levesque and his wife Stephanie McMahon ran into Vince's office.

"Dad, turn the news on right now!" Stephanie cried.

"Why?" Vince asked moving to the monitor in his office and turning it on.

"They are talking about Shane and Legacy. T-they g-got into a-an acc-accident!" Everyone stopped what they where doing and turned toward the monitor as Vince flipped through the channel until he found a news station.

"Did they say what happened?" Bob Orton asked.

"A tractor trailer hit them. Three of them are headed to the hospital and one of them died from the impact…" Paul said gravely.

"Did they say which one of them died?" Linda asked emotionally.

"No. They will not release who is in what condition."

"Shut up! Its back!" Vince yelled; everyone turned back to the monitor.

"_We are reporting live on interstate 42 where a tractor trailer has collided with a Cadillac driver of the truck is unharmed. There where four people in Cadillac at the time of the accident. Three people in the Cadillac where rushed to Stamford Hospital. The fourth passenger was killed on impact. We are not sure who the is at the hospital and who is dead. The people in the car where WWE superstars Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, and Vice President of Global Media Shane McMahon. It was reported that the Eldorado was speeding past the entrance to this gas station and the tractor driver pulled out and hit the left side of the car. We will tell you more when we get updates."_

Vince turned off the monitor and looked at everyone in the room. One of their sons was dead…Vince prayed to God it was not Shane who was killed in that accident. He knew it was wrong, but he hoped it was one of the other three and Linda was hoping the same. Dusty was sitting in shock; he couldn't believe his son was involved in this. Bob was starting to panic. He didn't know whether his son was dead or seriously injured. And Ted Dibiase Sr. was the same as Bob Orton. It was a few minutes before anyone spoke. And Triple H was the one who broke the silence.

"Why are we sitting here? Shouldn't we be headed down to the hospital?" Vince grabbed his wife's hand and rushed out of his office with everyone else in tow. He needed to know how is son was and nothing was going to stand in his way. He knew the car was Shane's, but he did not know if Shane was driving or if he was a passenger.

"Vince, wasn't that Shane's car?" Linda asked.

"Yes, but I'm not sure if he was driving. The truck hit the left side of the car and killed one of them on that side. If Shane was driving he would be seriously hurt. If he was on the left side…" Vince couldn't finish his sentence. He saw how the car looked on the left side and he knew the person sitting in the back on the left side was killed. Vince knew that car was Shane's baby; Shane took good care of it and would never let anyone else drive it. But Shane was a careful driver and would never speed. As far as Vince knew.

"Well, would your son let anyone else drive that car?" Dusty snapped.

"I'm not sure? We will find out when we get to the hospital wont we?" Vince snapped back.

"Hey! Don't fight; we need to keep calm and figure out what is going on!" Paul said.

"You are not the one who may have lost a son!" Bob snapped.

"Shane is my brother-in-law! He is apart of my family! Orton and the others are my friends! I risk losing a family member or a friend!" Paul snapped causing everyone to shut their mouths.

The ride to the hospital was in silence after that. Each person was lost in their own thoughts. Wondering who had died. Who was seriously injured? How bad where the injured? Would they ever wrestle again? What kind of damage would be done to them? They finally arrived at the hospital and Linda had a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had a feeling they where going to receive bad news, but would they be told Shane was dead?

"Excuse me, but we are here to see the people who where involved in the accident on interstate 42." Linda said going to the front desk.

"Yes, one minute. Let me get the doctor." the nurse at the desk said.

A few minutes later a doctor had walked over to the group of seven with a heavy heart. He had to inform these people they had lost a loved one; and that was never easy. First thing first he needed to figure out who was here for who.

"Okay, before I tell you how they are I need to know who is here for who." the doctor said.

"I am here for Randy Orton. I am his father Bob Orton."

"I am Ted Dibiase Sr. I'm obviously here for Ted."

"Dusty Rhodes; I'm here for Cody."

"I am Vince McMahon. This is my wife Linda, my daughter Stephanie and my son-in-law Paul Levesque. We are here to see Shane McMahon."

The doctor sighed when he heard who Vince said he was here for. He had to tell them bad news and was not sure if he should start with them or save them for last. It was never easy delivering bad news when most of the persons family was here.

"Mr. Orton and Mr. Rhodes are stable and will be fine in a few weeks. Mr. Rhodes has injured his knee pretty badly and will have to wait a few months before he can wrestle again. Mr. Orton should be fine in a few weeks. Mr. Orton was the driver and had no major injuries at all."

'So Shane was on the left side. Please, Lord, let Shane be okay.' Vince thought. He held his breath as the doctor turned toward him, his family, and Dibiase Sr.

"Mr. Dibiase was on the left side sitting next to the driver. He is in critical condition, but is stable. He lost a lot of blood, has a fractured skull, broken both arms and his left leg. He has at least four broken ribs and a punctured lung. He is in a coma right now. We will know more when he wakes up." The doctor said and took a deep breath. Vince knew what was coming next and held onto Linda tightly.

"Mr. McMahon, I am sorry, but Shane was the one who was killed in this accident. He was killed instantly and felt no pain. He went quickly; his death was brought on by a number of injuries and blood loss. I am sorry for your loss." Dusty, Bob, and Ted watched as Linda broke down screaming to God. Paul was holding onto Stephanie tightly; both Vince and Paul where telling themselves they had to be strong for their wives.

"Why? Why did it have to be Shane? What did he do to deserve this?" Linda cried.

"I'm not sure, Linda. I'm not sure." Vince whispered.

"I lost my baby boy! I will never be able to see him again! I will never hear my son laugh again!" Linda yelled.

"I know, I know. He was my son to. You have to believe he is safe and in no pain in Heaven."

"Dad…why did it have to be Shane? Why did he let Randy drive?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm not sure, princess. We will have to ask Randy." Vince said. He was a little angry at Randy. It was his fault his son was dead.

"It's your son's fault that I lost my brother! Randy should be dead! Not Shane!" Stephanie yelled at Bob.

"Stephanie!" Paul yelled. "I'm sorry, Bob. She didn't mean that."

"I know. I'm so sorry about this. I'm going to talk to Randy; I am not sure if they know what happened to Shane." Bob turned to the doctor. "May I see my son?"

"Yes. Mr. Orton and Mr. Rhodes are in the same room. You can follow this nurse to their room."

"Thank you." Bob and Dusty said and followed the nurse back.

"May I see Ted?" Dibiase Sr. asked. The doctor nodded and told him to follow the other nurse. Before he left he turned to the McMahon family and said, "I am so sorry about Shane. Anything you need just let me know."

"Thanks." Vince said and watched as Ted Sr. left to be with his son. "Can we say goodbye to Shane?" Vince asked. He didn't want to bury his son without saying goodbye. The doctor motioned for them to follow him. He led them to a separate room and told them they had to go in one at a time.

Paul was the first to go in; he saw Shane lying on the table and he could no longer suppress his tears. His brother-in-law, who was only 39, was dead because Randy decided to speed. He walked over to where Shane lay.

"Hey, Shane-O. I'm sorry; I am so, so sorry. I know I could not have stopped this from happening, but I will make sure Randy pays for his mistake. His mistake cost you your life and seriously hurt Cody and Ted. I will make sure Vince, Linda, and Stephanie stay safe for you. I wish I could have done the same for you." Paul squeezed Shane's hand and left the room. 'I'm going to go talk to Randy." he said when he reached his family who nodded in return.

Stephanie went in next and broke down at the sight of her brother. She was hoping this was all a dream and she would wake up and find her brother alive and well. She walked over to Shane's body and kissed his cheek.

"Shane, you cant be gone. Please, who is going to help me run the company? Who is going to help me mess with Paul and dad? Shane, please, you have to wake up. I cant imagine my life without you. I never thought I would be going to a funeral for my older brother when he is 39 years old. I love you and I hope you are safe and happy in Heaven. I'll miss you." Stephanie said and kissed her brother on the cheek and walked out. Once she was with her parents she ran to them and hugged them.

**Randy and Cody's room**

Dusty and Bob walked in to see both of their sons awake, but they where not talking to each other. They where probably thinking about what happened and trying to remember what was going on. They both looked extremely upset. They probably knew one of their friends was dead, but they where not sure who. Bob and Dusty went to sit by their sons.

"Hey, Randy. You okay?" Bob asked.

"Yeah, dad, I'm fine. So's Cody. Although he hurt his knee pretty badly." Randy said.

"Did they tell you how Shane and Ted where? They where on the side the truck hit." Cody said. Before either of them could say anything Paul came into the room. His eyes where red and he looked angry.

"Glad to see the two of you are okay!" he snapped. "Wanna know where I was? I was with Shane!" Dusty and Bob both looked down at the floor.

"Is he okay?" Randy asked.

"No!" Paul yelled; he then turned to Bob. "You didn't tell them?"

"No, you came before we could tell them about Ted and Shane." Dusty said.

"What's wrong with Shane? Is he o-okay?" Cody asked nervously.

"Shane's dead! You killed Shane! You don't have to worry he died instantly!" Paul shouted with teas running down his face. "I was saying goodbye to a man a consider my brother! I will never be able to see him again because you decided to speed!"

"I wasn't speeding! That truck driver pulled out right as we where passing! I was doing the legal speed limit! Who told you I was speeding?" Randy asked.

"The news said you guys where speeding and the truck driver didn't see you and pulled out." Bob told his son.

"That's bull! He pulled out in front of us at the last minute! Randy had to swerve out of the way, but he hit the back of the car…where Shane was sitting…he's really dead?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, Vince, Steph, and Linda are saying goodbye now…"

"Why aren't you with them?" Cody asked.

"I said goodbye already. I wanted to get answers from you guys. Ted is stable, but he's in a coma. They won't know more until he wakes up. I should get back to Steph and Linda." Paul said leaving the room.

**Ted's room**

Ted Sr. sat next to his son. He prayed that his son would wake up soon, but he was not looking forward to telling him about Shane. Randy and Cody where most likely already told that Shane was dead and would want to see him. Ted knew he should have said goodbye to Shane, but he was more worried about his son at the moment. He wanted to make sure Ted would be okay before he went to see Vince's son for the last time. Ted had liked Shane a lot. The boy was intelligent, funny, and a good wrestler. The boy was a great actor; many times he had fooled Ted and his father by pretending to be upset or mad at something they said. Shane was a prankster and loved to mess with his father. Ted Sr. was pulled out of his thoughts when his son moaned.

"Ted? It's your father squeeze my hand if you can hear me?" He took his sons hand in his own and when he squeezed back Ted jumped up and went to get a doctor.

The doctors ran a few tests and unplugged some of the machines and left Ted Sr. alone with his awake son. Neither one of them said anything and Ted figured his son was trying to process what had happened after a while Ted Jr. asked, "What happened to Randy, Cody, and Shane?"

"Cody is fine, but his knee is pretty messed up; so he wont be able to wrestle for a while. Randy is fine. Since he was driving he has no major injuries. They will be out of here in a week or so." he answered; he didn't want to tell his son about Shane yet.

"That's good. I'm glad they are going to be…wait. What about Shane? You never said how Shane was? Is he okay? I know he took the worst of the impact? Do Vince and Linda know? What about Paul and Stephanie?" Ted questioned.

"Teddy, listen, I do not want you to panic. Vince and Linda are here with Shane. Stephanie and Paul are as well. Shane's…he didn't make it."

"What do you mean?"

"Shane died. He was killed instantly; he went quickly. Never felt any pain. The doctor said that should make Vince and his family feel a little better, but it still doesn't bring their son back. That doesn't bring Stephanie's brother back."

"H-Have you seen h-him yet?" Ted asked his father and he shook his head.

"I want to see him. I know I cant go anywhere yet, but I want to see him before they bury him."

**Shane's room**

Linda was next to go into see her son. She never thought in a million years that she would be burying her son. Linda thought they would be dead long before Shane. She cursed God in her head; only she knew no one was to blame, but the driver of the truck. She walked over to her son and kissed his forehead slowly. She held his hand and began to cry.

"Shane, I cant believe you are gone. At least you didn't feel any pain. I know everything happens for a reason, but why would God take you away from us? You did nothing to deserve this. You should not have let Randy drive your car. He shouldn't have been speeding. I know it is wrong to blame him, but I cant help it. I am burying my son because he chose to speed in front of that truck. Things are going to be different now. I don't think I will be able to set foot in Titan knowing you are no longer going to be there. I'm not sure what Vince is going to do with your office or your position. I know he has to replace you, but no one will be better then you. I'm going to miss you, Shane. But know I love you and I hope you are happy in Heaven." Linda stood up and walked out of the room. When she met up with her husband and daughter she saw Paul, Randy, Cody, Bob, and Dusty headed towards them.

"What do you guys want?" Vince asked.

"We wanted to see Shane. We wanted to say goodbye." Cody said. Vince nodded and let them go in and say what they had to say. While they where in there Paul was telling his family what Cody had told them. Sadly they had no way of proving the truck driver pulled out in front of them. So he would not be punished for killing Shane. Dusty and the others came out and said their goodbyes to the family and went back to their rooms.

"Vince, it's your turn." Linda whispered. She knew this was going to be hard on him. It was hard for all of them, but Shane and Vince had been very close these past few years as they planned the feud with Legacy.

Vince had to prepare himself before he saw his son for the last time. He had grown close to Shane since the Legacy/McMahon feud. He learned more about his son; some of the things he should of known when Shane was a child, but he had been making up for it. Then Shane was taken away from him in a snap. He would never see his son smile again. Never hear him laugh. Never mess with him or fight against him in a match. Never secretly enjoy the pranks Shane would pull on him. He would now have to find someone to take Shane's place at Titan, but he would feel like he is replacing his son. Vince knew Shane was the best at what he did and he never thought he would have to find someone else. Shane was his only son, his first born. He shouldn't be burying his son; Shane should be with him right now. They all should be in his office talking about their feud and upcoming storyline. Vince walked into the room and looked at his son.

"Shane, I'm sorry! None of this should have happened! I know there is no one to blame, but that truck driver should pay for what he did. Cody told us what happened. I'm going to believe him because I figured Randy would never do anything that could put you guys in danger. That driver was an asshole and his mistake took your life. What am I going to do? Shane, we where making up for everything we missed out on when you where little; now your gone." Vince felt the tears rolling down his face.

"I will never see you smile or hear you laugh again. I will never be able to make storylines with you or hear your great ideas. You are so intelligent, Shane. You are my prodigy; you are even smarter then me. I know I screwed you over many times and I'm sorry. I know there where times I made you feel like you where not apart of this family and I'm extremely sorry for all of the bad times. When I said I would never forgive your mother for giving birth to you; I did not mean. You knew it was part of the storyline, but I could see it in your eyes; you thought I meant it. Shane, I love you. You are the best son in the world. I could never ask for a better son. You where my pride and joy. I know I treated your sister better then you, but you should know I love you." Vince rubbed Shane's head gently and kissed his forehead.

"This whole thing made me see how unfair I was to you. I feel like such an ass; I have no way of making it better. People say you never know what you have until it's gone. They're right; you are the best son in the world. You put up with all the crap; you put up with all the craziness. You put up with all the arguments, times we would hate each other. You put up with all the drama. Most people would have given up with us. There where times your mom and Stephanie wanted to leave and I had to beg them to stay. You never once mentioned that you wanted out. And I am so sorry this happened. I love you, son. I will miss you." Vince stood up and headed towards the door. He had other things to say, but he couldn't think of them now. He was still in shock; seeing his son dead would do that to a person. Vince walked out of the room and over to his family.

"Let's go home. We have to plan a…funeral." Vince said leading his family from the hospital.

The following Monday when Ted, Randy, and Cody where released from the hospital they held a memorial show for Shane. All of the superstars where still shocked to hear about Shane's death, but they managed to pull themselves together as much as they could and said things about Shane. No one said anything bad about Shane; he touched peoples lives in some way. Everyone said how nice Shane was, he would do anything to help anyone, he was tough, he was funny, he was smart, ect. Ted, Cody, and Randy told everyone about the accident and asked Vince if they could throw out the Legacy/McMahon feud. They didn't want to do it; they said it would be a disgrace to Shane's memory. Vince gladly agreed to get rid of it. Considering they where on their way to meeting about that storyline when Shane was killed. The crowd chanted "SHANE-O MAC!" all night and it brought tears to everyone's eyes. People in the audience also had tears in their eyes. They knew Shane to; maybe not as well as his family and friends, but they did see him wrestle and make appearances. Their where very little matches that night. They mostly showed matches Shane was in and heard what everyone had to say about.

Shawn had told Paul anything he needed just call and ask him and he'd do it. Shawn considered Shane and the other McMahon's apart of his family as well. They had known each other since they started out and Shawn felt like he had lost a brother. All the WWE superstars stopped by Vince's office and gave their condolences. It was then Vince realized how much impact Shane had on the company. From the superstars to the divas. From the announcers to the crew members. Shane was a huge part of the WWE and now a big piece was missing. No one could fill it. No one could come along and take his place; there would never be anyone in the WWE like Shane McMahon again. He understood what they where going through and spoke on their behalf if something unfair was happening. He connected with them better then Vince did. Probably because Vince was their boss and could have them fired for something they said or did. Shane may have been the boss' son, but all in all he was not a snobby person. He was not handed everything on a silver platter. He worked for everything he earned and was proud when he accomplished something. It was the end of the show and Vince was the only one who had no said anything about his son. It was not that he didn't want to, he just couldn't think of anything to say. Linda and Stephanie kept telling him he had to say something. If he didn't they would never forgive him. Vince sighed and took a seat in front of the camera.

"Tonight…I'm here to say something about my son, Shane Brandon McMahon. As everyone knows Shane was killed in an accident a few weeks ago. Do not blame Randy; none of this was his fault. It was just bad timing…Shane was the best son anyone could ask for. He took all the crap we put him through and what we put each other through. He did everything in his power to make sure we where safe…he also protected Stephanie, a lot of times. Since I wasn't around a lot when they where younger Shane took it upon himself to look out for his little sister and teach her things. He was the only sane one in this family…It sounds weird saying that considering he did all those crazy stunts back in the 90's. But if we got out of control he would try and calm us down. We would give him a lot of shit for it; say things we did not mean, but Shane took them and still tried anyway. I keep thinking this is God's way of getting back at me for the way I treated him…if it was it is not right. Shane was only 39! I should not be burying my son! I should not be sitting here saying this! I should not be holding a memorial show for my first born! I should not have to go to a funeral for MY SON tomorrow!" Vince screamed; during Vince's break the camera crew cut the footage

The crowd should not see Vince break down and mourn the loss of his son. No one should publicly put this family's suffering on TV for the whole world to see. They did not deserve that; they just lost someone and they where airing it like nothing was wrong. They know the same thing happened when they did memorial shows for Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Owen Hart, but none of the direct family was their. This was not something people should see. A powerful in moment of weakness; some of their commentators may hold this against him.

The funeral for Shane was held the next day. Many WWE superstars past and present had shown up to the funeral. All had come to pay their respects. Most of Vince and Linda's sides of the family where their as well. None one thought Shane would be dead before his father. Some where still in shock. Some past WWE superstars where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Rodney, Joey Abs, Pete Gas, Roddy Piper, Rob Van Dam, Ric Flair, Torrie Wilson, Lita, and Trish Stratus. Vince and his family sat in the front while the WWE superstars and Shane's friends sat behind them. Joey, Rodney, and Pete all shared stories from when they where little. Steve and Dwayne shared stories about past matches and storylines with Shane. Vince and the others followed the people who carry the casket out to the graveyard where Shane would be buried. Vince prayed to God that he would keep Shane safe and happy in Heaven. Vince knew he would see his son again and that Shane was watching over them. As everyone left the graveyard Vince quietly whispered,

"I love you, Shane. I will see you again soon."


End file.
